Vase Catalog Number: Munich 2344 (inv. no. Munich J 408)

Decoration:

On the body, Dionysos with maenads and Silens in a continuous frieze around the entire vessel. In the center of Side A, Dionysos moves to the right, holding in his left hand a vine branch, whose tendrils curl around him, and in his right hand a kantharos. He is wearing a long, transparent chiton through which his legs are visible, a mantle around his chest, and a panther skin knotted around his neck, and is crowned with an ivy wreath. He strides to the right, looking behind him and down towards the maenad behind him. The two maenads on either side of the god are being attacked by Silenoi. The maenad to the left of Dionysos runs to the right towards Dionysos, looking back over her shoulder at the silen. She holds a thyrsos in her right hand, and a bearded snake entwined around her left hand. The silen is bent forward slightly, as if ducking under the handle of the vase, and grabs her thyrsos with his right hand while reaching for the hem of her chiton with his left. The maenad to the right of Dionysos runs to the left, towards the god, looking over her shoulder and warding off the silen with her hand and thyrsos. The silen reaches for her hair with his left hand and for the hem of her chiton with his left, and raises his left leg. Both these maenads wear long transparent chitons, long mantles whose ends dangle almost to the ground; on their heads they wear bonnets. The left-hand maenad wears a fawn skin in addition. The silens are nude except for fawn skins and ivy wreaths; they have horse ears and tails, beards and snub noses, and are ithyphallic.

On the other side of the amphora are two ecstatic maenads and a frontal silen playing an aulos. The maenads flank and turn away from the satyr at the center of the scene, running towards Dionysos on the other side of the vase. The maenad on the left gazes slightly upward as she runs. She carries her thyrsos on her shoulder, and a bearded snake with open mouth is entwined around her left arm. She is wreathed with ivy and her blond hair is disheveled, painted in dilute glaze; her eyes are light-colored, like Dionysos'. She wears the same long transparent chiton and mantle as the other maenads, and also a fawn skin. The other maenad seems more intoxicated: turning her face to the sky she cries out with her mouth open, clutches her thyrsos with both hands, and her right foot breaks the frame of the scene, her toes over the maeander border. Her curly black hair is in small ringlets. Between the two maenads, the frontal silen plays the double aulos. He bends slightly to the right, and is cross-eyed and his brow furrowed, and a fawn skin is draped over his shoulders.

Purple and dilute glaze are used to great effect, with golden dilute glaze used for fawn and animal skins, Dionysos' kantharos, and the snakes held by the maenads.

On the neck, on either side are three athletes practicing the diskos and throwing spear. The athletes are nude and wear fillets in their hair. In the background on either side are picks for loosening the earth for the long jump; on side B are an aryballos and sponge for cleaning up after exercising.

Inscriptions:

KALOS, "(he is) beautiful" twice, near the silens.

Shape Description:

This shape imitates in figured pottery the shape of plain transport amphorae. This is among the earliest red-figured pointed amphorae known. Fragments of another pointed amphora by the Kleophrades Painter are in Berlin.

Sources Used:

Simon & Hirmer 1976, 103-4

Other Bibliography:

Lullies 1957; Beazley 1974b

(Nick Cahill)